Divisi
When to plant Sunflower in Ika North East
Delta, Nigeria
Known here as furen rana
Sunflower is a tall, upright plant — about 1–2 m, higher than your head — that carries one big flower head on top.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 4 May 2027 – 27 Jul 2027 opens in 31 weeks | 21 May 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.3 t/ha | about 3.2 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 2 Aug 2027 to 4 Dec 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–130 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 74–155 days per hectare, by hand | |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 1 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Ika North East leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 27 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ika North East
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sunflower in Ika North East, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026 season in Ika North East
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,927 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — February, September and October look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.8 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 51% of this area. |
| 51% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 312 growing days · about 1,980 mm · February to December |
|---|---|
| 36% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 281 growing days · about 1,860 mm · February to November |
| 10% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 280 growing days · about 1,840 mm · February to November |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 308 growing days · about 1,870 mm · February to December |
last updated 16 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What sunflower needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 400–750 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 60 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | boron, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium |
What it takes to grow sunflower in Ika North East
| Planting material | About 50,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 103 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 46 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 184 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 74–155 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sunflower crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Sunflower with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Ika North East as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
Sunflower in nearby districts
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will sunflower grow well in Ika North East?
Ika North East rates as favourable for sunflower.
When should I plant sunflower in Ika North East?
Typically 4 May 2027 to 27 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ika North East, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
